Internet Safety

This course EDRL 6004 has prepared us as Reading Specialists to integrate technology in the schools' curriculum. We have to be prepared because the teachers on this programme has shown their enthusiasm to introduce the technology to their members of staff and students and our students will have the same eagerness or moreso.We have read articles and blogs of our fellow
teachers, about teens multitasking the technology.This practice has disadvantages which our students must be educated about.However, of foremost importance is Internet Safety.Although there are laws preventing students from giving their private information online, the students
best online protection is their teacher or parents.The students need to be educated about potential online dangers and parents must get involved in students online activities.

Are boys becoming more literate in out of school activities?

The problem is boys read less fiction than girls. They prefer magazines that are analytical and contain facts more than narrative .These preferences affect their motivation toward school – based reading. (Coles and Hall, 2001).As Millard 1997 states boys are disadvantaged in academic literacy as a result of current curricular emphasis, teacher text and topic choices and lack of availability of texts that match their interests and needs.

There is a lot of research on the Gender Gap in Reading and evidence to prove that girls show more interest in reading than boys and as a result, perform better than boys in the areas of the Language Arts.

The problem is boys read less fiction than girls. They prefer magazines that are analytical and contain facts more than narrative .These preferences affect their motivation toward school – based reading.Boys get excited about manipulating real world things, for example the makeup of vehicles and building things. However,it is these interactions that are overlooked, when we define literacy.

Can we say that boys are becoming literate in ways that girls aren't?

Are Teachers aware that a Gender Reading Gap does exist?

My name is Jennifer Lynch Farrell. Presently,I am doing a Masters of Education in Reading.Prior to this course, I was not aware that a Gender Reading Gap does exist.

However, in searching for a research topic, an interesting development was observed , on a Motivational Chart of my Second Year Class. Almost half of the girls were ahead in their reading of the Jolly Phonics books. During my readings for a research topic, I discovered that there is a Gender Reading Gap. I did this topic for my first research project.

What I discovered from the research is that many factors are responsible for a child's interest or non - interest in reading. However, it was clear to me that males must model reading for the boys and this was found to be absent in most homes and in schools, where the females predominate the composition of teachers.

I am interested, to find out what teachers are doing to motivate boys to want to read.I welcome your suggestions as to what worked for you, as a teacher.